I found one of those pop-sickle kits on Amazon for under $6 and ordered it. It just got here today, and we are testing out our first batch of popsickles with it. I had read about putting green smoothies in the pop sickle maker and then having frozen smoothies in the hot weather, and it seems like an idea with a lot of possibilities. This time, I made a strawberry-pineapple smoothie, so not greens in this first one, and just put it into the freezer to set up. It tasted kind of like a strawberry creamsickle , if you remember those from when we were kids. I added some protein powder into the smoothie, and other goodies, so it will be both refreshing and healthy (at least that is what I am hoping for), and we will probably each try one tonight.
I have a popsicle maker somewhere, maybe after I come back home I'll make something. There's endless combinations and possibilities on Pinterest.
As soon as I made these and put them in the freezer, the weather turned so cold we had to have the heat on again at night for a while. Then the thunderstorm and rain, and still cold. Today, it finally warmed back up again enough where the idea of a popsicle sounds better than hot soup; so I tried one. They turned out delicious, and will be perfect for the hot summer weather, and I can make them from whatever kind of juice or smoothie that I am making. So now, I used the rest of the fresh strawberries and grapes since they were looking a little sad to eat anymore, and I put them in the Vitamix with some fresh limes (most of the peel removed) and blended it all up. We have real strawberry-limeade in the refrigerator now, and it is awesome over ice. I had eaten one of the popsicles so I refilled that one with the strawberry juice to see how that turns out as a popsicle. This is a great way to have a little treat that is not packed full of sugar, and is just natural fruit blended up with some filtered water and fresh lemons or limes.
Sounds delicious Yvonne . it's many years since I made home-made ice lollies...but it's sooo hot here at the moment I might try making a smoothie one...
My "invention" of the day turned out to be spectacularly delicious ! I made low-carb cheesecake creamsicles, and it is totally as satisfying as having a bowl of ice cream, and makes a great dessert treat. If you have ever eaten the strawberry cheesecake ice cream, you will have an idea of how this tastes like. I basically followed the recipe that I posted before (in the recipe section) for the easy low-carb cheesecake dessert, and then I froze it. I added part of a banana and some fresh pineapple for a different flavor, so it is kind of like a tropical cheesecake taste, with the cream cheese and sugar-free pudding mix. I think that fresh strawberries would maybe be even better ! These are so great to have on hot days that I am thinking of getting another set of the popsicle molds so that we can have even more of them for the summer. My next planned experiment will be using the chocolate pudding mix and making creamy low-carb fudgesicles.
I'm not an ice cream fan and hate fudgesicles, maybe because they're chocolate. I am a sugar free popsicle addict though and I also like the outshine bars but they have sugar.
Have you tried making any with coconut water or coconut oil even? The coconut water outshine bar is my favorite and I also love the coconut gelato that Costco sells...the ones that are in the half coconut shell. @Yvonne Smith
I think that you might like making your own sugar-free popsicles, @Chrissy Cross , especially if you like experimenting with different textures and flavors like I do. I use some fruits/vegetables in the smoothie-pops, and in the ones that were more like a popsicle, I used some Crystal Light with added limes and strawberries. It has more flavor than a regular popsicle, and is made with fresh fruit and not just a flavor of something. My folks had a small grocery when I was little, and I didn't care for candy, but I loved the times that my mom would make us a special treat with ice cream, and maybe some fresh berries on top. I know that ice cream has way too much sugar, and also chemicals; so the popsicle molds are perfect for me. I can have my treats, choose the flavors, and make them a healthy treat.
I used to make them a few years ago with crystal light. I have the molds....somewhere. I only made them plain but adding a few pieces of some fruit would be good!
I have not used coconut oil at this point, although I have made smoothies with added coconut oil, and I think it would be fine. I do use the canned coconut milk that comes in about a 14 oz can, because it has a lot of the coconut cream on the top, and gives the cheesecake dessert a really rich flavor, especially combined with the cream cheese and sugar-free vanilla pudding mix. I also have been adding part of a scoop of vanilla whey protein powder, so that also adds nutrients, and helps it to be more satisfying. I have been making fresh almond milk with the vitamix and I think that i will try using some of that instead of the canned coconut milk. If I make the almond milk with less water, it is also very reach and creamy, and has not been processed like the canned coconut milk has.
I've nothing much to add here except yeah, they're pretty good. The cheesecake one I had last night was especially delicious but alas, Yvonne is disappearing for a week and the popsicle thing will have to wait till she gets back. Woe is me, no popcicles for a whole week...........
This experiment was low-carb fudgesicles, and I think that Bobby has already eaten most of those; so it is about time for me to make something else. I used the same basic recipe as for the creamsicles; but added chocolate protein powder and sugar-free pudding mix instead of the vanilla flavored one. They are yummy ! One of my favorites when I was a kid was the original Creamsicle, which had vanilla ice cream inside and an orange sherbet coating. I can't duplicate that with the molds; but I am thinking that I will try adding some fresh orange and maybe use orange jello instead of the pudding mix. Even Lemon pudding mix might work okay ?
Hi @Yvonne Smith , the vanilla ice cream covered in orange sherbet is what we use to call Dreamsicles. They were my favorites too. I bet if you got two sizes of molds, one small and one large, you could freeze your mudding mixes in the smaller molds first, and then you could slip those into the larger molds filled about a third full of juice, and refreeze. Just think of all the different combinations you could come up with. Have you thought about checking the dollar stores for the molds? My new neighbors just had their little girl's fifth birthday party last weekend, and the mother said she picked up several trays of fudgesicle molds at the one near us. I guess the dollar stores are stocking up on summer party ware. They have one of those above ground pool like you do, and they rented one of those great big blow PlayStations. So I got to watch almost a dozen small children in swimsuits running between the two for most of the afternoon, always with a frozen fruit pops in their sticky hands, with broad sticky smiles on their little faces.
I think that with two molds you could make a popsicle with a top coating; but since they would have to work together perfectly, it would be hard to just find two sizes that would work, unless they were made especially for that purpose. I am fine with just getting the orange taste in the vanilla part; we always ate the two of them together when we had the Dreamsicle anyway. I will check at the dollar store next time we are there and see if they have popsicle molds, and how much they cost there as compared to on Amazon. It sounds like your neighbor's kids all had a fun time with the birthday party ! My mother would NEVER have let me run with a popsicle stick in my mouth though. She had heard the stories of kids stabbing themself in the throat by running, tripping, and falling down with a popsicle stuck in their mouth. I could have a popsicle or ice cream bar; but I had to sit still until I had finished eating it.
@Yvonne Smith , I can just picture you sitting so very proper as a little girl with your popsicle. I know you were a country girl, and you rode horses, and like most of us, you worked physically hard throughout most of your life, but in my mind, I always see you as a girly girl. I never could pull that off for long. You are small, and still very girly, maybe that's where your perpetual youthfulness comes from. That's one of those special qualities that you either have, or not. When I think of it, I don't remember any of the children running with the sticks in their hands or mouthed, I just remember seeing sticky looking hands and grins, and I could hear that joyful sound that only small little one can make.